The CAD handover checklist for a product launch

The file opens. The geometry looks clean. Then someone notices the connector belongs to the previous product revision.

A useful CAD handover does more than transfer geometry. It tells the CGI team which product is being shown, how its parts relate and where the source is incomplete. The safest handover includes a named revision, an assembly reference, finish information, a list of unresolved details and someone authorised to confirm the product.

Put the revision in writing.

Use one manifest for the supplied files. Include the product name, variant, revision, export date, units and the person who supplied them. Give the studio an unambiguous statement of which revision is approved for visual production.

Avoid relying on “latest” in a filename. It describes a moment, not an identity. If the design changes after handover, issue a new revision with a short change list.

For a launch film, the important question is whether the change affects anything visible or anything the film explains. A hidden fixing may have no effect on a beauty shot but matter in an exploded sequence.

Send the assembly, not just the parts.

A folder of components does not always explain how they fit together. Supply an assembly reference and identify moving parts, concealed parts and anything that must remain aligned.

Confirm units and orientation. A model that appears plausible at the wrong scale can cause problems later with camera choices, texture scale and environmental context.

Our CAD-to-CGI guide explains the production handover. The checklist below is intended to sit beside the files. What happens to them next is set out on our 3D modelling services page.

Scroll sideways to read every column.

Copy the CAD handover manifest.

The overview says what to include. The manifest is where you write it down, one row per file or assembly. Fill in what you know. Where you do not know something yet, leave it marked as unknown and name who will decide it. That is more useful than a guess, because the studio can plan around a known gap.

The row below is a fictional illustration, not a client record. Keep confidential details out of any copy you share before an agreed transfer route is in place.

Scroll sideways to read every column.

To start your own, copy this header line into the first cell of a spreadsheet and split it by comma:

Product and variant,Approved revision,Export date,Filename,Native or exchange source,Units,Known dimension,Assembly role,Finish or artwork reference,Dependency files,Status (confirmed/provisional/absent),Affected shot,Decision owner

For everything that happens around the files, prepare the full CAD-to-CGI handover.

Which source files should you send?

Send what you have, and say what it is. XO3D’s source formats and delivery standards set out the starting point.

If you have CAD, STEP is the safest default, and native SolidWorks, Rhino or Inventor files preserve more. If the product exists only as a mesh, FBX or OBJ travels well between applications.

Without a usable model, drawings, photographs or a sample can still start the work.

Whatever you send, compatibility and any conversion or remodelling are confirmed at intake, with the actual file. Do not assume that a particular application version will open unchanged, or that materials will survive a conversion.

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Show the configuration, not just a folder of parts.

An assembly can hold every variant, accessory and option at once. The film shows one. So say which configuration each view needs: the variant, any accessories, and the angle or sequence it appears in. A marked assembly reference does this well. So does a short note per shot on what that shot must explain.

Include one known dimension, so scale can be checked against something real. Then mark each part for the view in question.

Some parts are visible and must be right. Some are provisional, such as artwork still in review.

Some are not required in this view at all. That marking is per view, not per file.

Leave your source assembly as it is: the studio works from a copy.

Describe the surface as carefully as the shape.

CAD can define the enclosure without describing its appearance under light. “Black plastic” leaves a lot unresolved. Is it textured or smooth? Soft-touch or hard? Is the finish consistent across the body and controls?

Supply photographs that show the surface at more than one angle. A broad reflection helps reveal roughness. A close-up helps show texture scale. Where a sample is available, agree how it will be used for comparison.

A specified colour reference supports the discussion, but an on-screen appearance also depends on material, lighting and display conditions. Do not expect one flat swatch to describe a coated metal surface.

The Khronos overview of physically based materials explains why colour, roughness and other material properties are separate inputs. It is a useful technical reference, rather than a promise that exchanging a file will preserve every look exactly.

Make missing information visible.

Use three states: confirmed, provisional and absent. A missing port cover is different from a deliberately simplified internal assembly. Both need to be recorded.

For each provisional item, say which shots depend on it. This lets the studio continue work that is genuinely independent while holding the affected view.

An example: the product silhouette is approved, but the control graphics are still changing. Wide lighting studies may proceed. A close-up of those controls needs an agreed temporary treatment or should wait.

Do not substitute a plausible component simply because it fills the gap. Product truth depends on source evidence and the right review.

Record what changed after handover.

Designs change after handover. When they do, send the new file with a note of what it supersedes. A filename alone will not tell anyone which shots are affected.

Keep the same three states as the manifest. An empty cell should never be read as approved. The table below is a hypothetical example: the label artwork changes, so the control close-up is held while the wide view carries on.

Scroll sideways to read every column.

How a change affects scope and timing is agreed for each project. To see which outputs a change might reach, plan the launch outputs alongside this record.

Check the neutral model before the cinematic frame.

Ask to review geometry without dramatic lighting or depth of field hiding the details. Check the silhouette, proportions, assembly, labels and mechanism. Then move to material and lighting approval.

A technically reviewed model supports an accurate representation of the supplied design. It does not certify the manufactured product or replace engineering validation. Our product truth guide sets out that boundary.

If your launch depends on explaining an internal mechanism, technical CGI should begin with this handover. Start a conversation with the file manifest and the unresolved decisions, before sending confidential CAD through an unagreed route.

See a project built from evolving CAD.

The Petalite case study shows evolving CAD in a product-system film. The CAD was cleaned up and rebuilt for production, with real-world scale set and a clear naming and grouping system, so components stayed consistent across stills, turntables and animation while the design changed.

The public case study shows the visual work, not the confidential CAD or its handover record. For your handover, the equivalent starting point is the approved revision and a clear list of what remains provisional.